Top Lankan shuttler withdraws from SAF Games with injury

Colombo, Aug 13 (UNI) Sri Lankan badminton team's SAF Games campaign received an early jolt well before the event with reigning national champion Niluka Karunaratne pulling out of the event with an injury.

Barely couple of days ago, the shuttler, Lanka's best bet in the tournament, informed the team management about his injury.

This came as a huge jolt for the player who honed his skills during a two-year training programme at an International Badminton Federation Centre in Germany.

With Karunaratne opting out of the event, the hosts would rely on the veteran duo of Duminda Jayakody and Thushara Edirisinghe to shoulder the responsibilities with their vast experience.

The shuttlers are practising at Maitland Place under coaches and former national champions K D Nallathamby and K S Pushpakumara.

The players would also practice at the newly-laid rubber mat at the Sugathadasa indoor stadium, venue of the event.

Jayakody and Edirisinghe have established themselves as a formidable doubles pair and dominated the event for over a decade.

Thomas Cupper Jayakody, partnering Edirisinghe, won the national doubles title from 1996 to 2004, besides three national titles in a row from 1993 to 1996.

Edirisinghe, on his part, won the national singles title in 1994 and 1995 and again from 1997 to 2000.

Though Niluka Karunaratne will be sorely missed by the team, his brothers -- Diluka and Dinuka -- will have to come up with good show to live upto the expectations.

Team: Duminda Jayakody, Thushara Edirisinghe, Diluka Karunaratne, Dinuka Karunaratne, C N J John, R S Dahanayake and Chameera Kumarapperuma.

UNI AY PM RK1218